Social protection and social development

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN POPULATION STUDIES

Julie L. Drolet

Social Protection
and Social
Development
International
Initiatives
123


SpringerBriefs in Population Studies

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Julie L. Drolet

Social Protection and Social
Development
International Initiatives

123


Julie L. Drolet
Faculty of Social Work
University of Calgary
Edmonton, AB
Canada

ISSN 2211-3215
ISBN 978-94-007-7877-1
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7878-8

ISSN 2211-3223 (electronic)
ISBN 978-94-007-7878-8 (eBook)

Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013951323
Ó The Author(s) 2014
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This book on social protection and social
development is dedicated to all those who
have worked and who are working to
promote social and economic development
in our world including:
Within the United Nations system, the International Labour Organization, UNICEF, and
other agencies, program officers and staff in
regional and country offices; and
To social workers who are advocating for
human rights and social justice across the
globe, thank you for your many contributions.


Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of this
publication on social protection and social development:
Bob Huber, Chief, Division for Social Policy and Development, United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), for meeting with me in
New York City and for providing access to new material.
Isabel Ortiz, Associate Director, Policy and Practice, UNICEF, for sharing
reports and materials on children’s rights and social protection.
Golam Mathbor, Professor and Associate Dean of Social Work, Monmouth
University, who chaired a session on social protection at the Social Work—Social
Development Conference held in Stockholm in July 2012.
Tiffany Sampson, a former social work student and community-based
researcher, for undertaking a thorough literature review of the subject in the

summer of 2012.
Corey Sullivan, my partner and friend, who holds my hand in the struggle for
human rights and social justice across the world.

vii


Contents

1

Background to the Social Protection Initiative . . . .
Introduction to Globalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Global Financial Crisis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Progress and Constraints in Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Social Impacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Agreement in Nine United Nations Joint Initiatives . . .
Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussion and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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International Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal Declaration of Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights .
ILO Conventions on Social Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Convention on the Rights of the Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities . . . . . . . . .
Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples . . . . .
Discussion and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Definition of the Social Protection Floor . . .
What is a Social Protection Floor? . . . . . . . .
Recommendation No. 202 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Concept of Social Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Human Rights and Social Justice Frameworks
Social Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Social Determinants of Health. . . . . . . . . . . .
Social Risk Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Social Inclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussion and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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ix


x

Contents

4

Adaptive Social Protection . . . . . . . . . . . .
Climate Change and Disasters. . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptation and Mitigation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Environmental Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Social Protection and Sustainable Adaptation
Sustainable Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Risk-Adjusted Social Protection Floor . . . . .
Discussion and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Country Developments and Initiatives. . . . . . . .
Country-Based Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specific Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal Family Allowance, Argentina . . . . . . . .
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child Support Grant, South Africa. . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal Coverage Scheme, Thailand . . . . . . . . .
Universal Pension Scheme, Thailand . . . . . . . . . .
Promising Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key Challenges and Resources Needed . . . . . . . .
Discussion and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Appendix B: International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Appendix C: Convention on the Rights of the Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Appendix D: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. . .

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Appendix E: United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

125

Appendix F: C102-Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention,
1952 (No. 102) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

137


Chapter 1

Background to the Social Protection
Initiative

Abstract This chapter serves as an introduction to provide background information
on the social protection floor initiative and to outline the progress and constraints in
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The context of globalization is provided, and the recent global financial crisis, which both influence the
development of recent social protection initiatives. The chapter concludes with a
rationale for social protection and presents the agreement on the nine United Nations
joint initiatives.

Á

Á

Á

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Keywords Globalization Financial crisis Recovery MDGs Social impacts
Social protection Rationale

Á

Á

Introduction to Globalization
‘‘Globalization’’ has quickly become one of the most fashionable buzzwords of
contemporary political and academic debate (Scheuerman 2010). Since the 1980s,
the term ‘‘globalization’’ has been used to characterize the diffusion of new
technologies, the flow of ideas, the exchange of goods and services, economic and
financial liberalization,1 the internationalization of business, and the movement of
persons. The impacts of globalization are profound, particularly in the social,
economic, cultural, political, and environmental spheres. Many theorists agree that

1

Neoliberal monetary policies have emphasized the opening up of capital markets to external
flows and keeping inflation rates low. Financial volatility and crises in developing countries affect
the economy in terms of income decline, lower employment, increasing unemployment and
underemployment, and shifts from formal to informal work. Recurring economic crises
associated with financial liberalization have propelled many women into the labour force, and
often into more precarious forms of work. Financial liberalization is one of the most controversial
aspects of globalization because of its association with crises that have had negative effects on
income and employment (Razavi et al. 2012).

J. L. Drolet, Social Protection and Social Development,
SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-7878-8_1,
Ó The Author(s) 2014

1


2

1 Background to the Social Protection Initiative

globalization refers to fundamental changes in the spatial and temporal contours of
social existence, where place and space is undergoing dramatic shifts with
increasingly interconnected forms of human activity (Held et al. 1999). Developments in one region of the world can shape the life chances of communities in
distant parts of the globe (Perraton 2011) and have implications for another
location known as the ‘local–global’ nexus (Dominelli 2010). The present context
of globalization is contested, as it has potential for both positive and negative
effects. Proponents of globalization argue that the process of economic cooperation
and integration has helped a number of countries to benefit from high rates of
economic growth and employment creation, to absorb many of the rural poor into
the modern urban economy, to advance developmental goals, and to foster innovation in product development and the circulation of ideas. On the other hand,
critics of globalization argue that global economic integration has caused many
countries and sectors to face major challenges of income inequality, continuing
high levels of unemployment and poverty, vulnerability of economies to external
shocks, and the growth of both unprotected work and the informal economy. The
processes of globalization have coincided with women’s increasing labour force
participation, but have also produced adverse outcomes for significant numbers of
women and men who are being pushed into low-paid temporary, seasonal, and
casual employment, with women continuing to be primarily responsible for unpaid

care and reproductive work2 (Razavi et al. 2012).
Globalization, or what some refer to as the increased interconnectedness and
interdependence of peoples and countries, is understood to comprise both of the
following: (1) the opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of
goods, services, finance, people, and ideas; and (2) changes in institutions and
policies at national and international levels that facilitate such flows (World Health
Organization 2012). For example, a natural disaster in one country has ripple
effects around the world. Global warming challenges all nations to work together.
Chapter 4 will further consider the impacts of climate change and disasters and
how ‘adaptive social protection’ can reduce risks and vulnerabilities. Today’s
world is experiencing growing interdependence and complexity yet continues to
maintain fundamental values of freedom, human dignity, social justice, security,
and non-discrimination for sustainable economic and social development. The
International Labour Organization (ILO) unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008. The Declaration
reflects the wide consensus on the need for a strong social dimension to globalization in achieving improved and fair outcomes for all (ILO 2008). Globalization
has been a significant factor in the emergence of social protection, as it raises the
demand for social protection (Rodrik 1997). The global financial crisis further
focused attention on the need for social protection policies and programs.
2

Unpaid care and reproductive work is crucial to the success of the ‘productive economy’ yet is
not recognized in official labour market statistics or counted in GDP. Unpaid care work includes
housework and caregiving of persons in homes and communities. It remains invisible in the
economy that informs policy making (Razavi et al. 2012).


Global Financial Crisis

3

Global Financial Crisis
The world dramatically experienced some of the negative consequences of
globalization during the food price crisis3 in 2008 and the global financial crisis of
2009. The origins of the global financial crisis lay in the weak governance and
inadequate regulation of the finance market of several industrialized countries.
This economic crisis began as a financial crisis in the developed world and
reverberated throughout developing economies, primarily as a negative trade
shock (Razavi et al. 2012). It is now recognized as the worst economic crash since
the Great Depression (Foster and Magdoff 2009). The crisis emerged on the back
of an intrinsically unsustainable global growth pattern characterized by strong
consumer demand in the United States, that was funded by easy credit and
booming house prices (Vos 2010). People in very large numbers in all regions and
countries are suffering and feel uncertain, threatened, angry, and frustrated.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the number of people
living in hunger in the world rose to over a billion in 2009, the highest on record
(United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2011). The consequences for personal and family well-being, the welfare of societies, the stability
of nations, and the credibility of national and multilateral governance are severe.
The crisis occurred in a context of a dominant policy vision that overvalued the
capacity of markets to regulate themselves; undervalued the role of the State; and
devalued the dignity of work, respect for the environment, and the delivery of
public goods. The prolonged global financial crisis clearly shows an interconnectedness of financial markets (Claessens 2010) that has led to significant
employment losses in many countries. Persistent high unemployment and poverty
is a result of the economic crisis, representing a major setback to global efforts to
reduce poverty. It takes, on average, almost five years for the unemployment rate
to return to its pre-crisis level. Persistent high unemployment at nearly 9 %
remains the Achilles heel of economic recovery in most developed countries
(United Nations 2012). In developing countries, most job losses have occurred in
the export sectors (UNDESA 2011). Of great concern has been the rise in vulnerable employment and the number of working poor,4 as people who lost their
jobs in the formal economy have increasingly moved to the informal economy
where jobs are poorly paid and offer little or no protection. When jobs are not

available, demand for social protection increases significantly, and prolonged
employment crises carry major risks for social and political stability.
Prior to the global financial crisis, there was already persistent high poverty and
economic informality, as well as worsening income inequality and weakening

3

The food price crisis is the result of increases in the price of staple foods that leads to a
decrease in real income for vulnerable households.
4
The working poor are employed but live in households where individual members live below
the established measure of income poverty. Despite working, the working poor cannot earn
enough to get out of poverty.


4

1 Background to the Social Protection Initiative

middle classes in an international context of major social and economic imbalances.
For indigenous groups, unemployment has tended to be higher than the average for
the general population, and this situation has worsened since the crisis (UNDESA
2011). While wealth was being created, too few people and countries were sharing
the benefits. While the labour force continues to grow, with many young adults
seeking employment, the crisis may lead to a prolonged job deficit after the
economy recovers. As inequalities by income, gender, location, and age are on the
rise in all countries—low and middle income, as well as developed—structural
transformation is ongoing in the global economy (ILO 2012). Over the past three
decades women’s access to paid work has increased in most countries, yet their
access to employment-related social protection instruments such as maternity leave,

health insurance, unemployment insurance, old age pension, and childcare services
remains limited (Razavi et al. 2012). Recent estimates by the ILO suggest that
around 75–80 % of the world’s population has no access to basic social protection
(ILO 2011).
Many countries recognize that there is no ‘‘one size fits all’’ approach to the
challenges of globalization. Many countries have put in place massive financial
rescue packages and large stimulus packages, estimated at over 20 trillion dollars
(Vos 2009). The crisis has prompted major policy rethinking everywhere. There is
a deep dispute about whether the broad neo-liberal framework of the last 25 years
should be replaced with something new or whether it just needs some patching; on
the other side are those arguing for a more far-reaching reconstruction of economies and societies, the green movement in particular calling for a more sustainable
system (Gambe 2010). There is broad agreement that the recovery cannot be a
return to the same practices of the failed financial business model with the outcomes of globalization benefiting some but being unfair to many. The crisis
illustrates the interconnectedness of the global economy and has undermined
claims that globalization will ensure generalized prosperity (Perraton 2011). Many
are calling for a new deal to reshape the global economy in order to find a more
sustainable path (Vos 2010). The foundation for a ‘new’ globalization is based on
sustainable, fair, and environmentally sound economic and social development in
open economies and open societies. It is increasingly being recognized that economic security requires not only earnings and wages, but also social protection at
the core of recovery policies.5 This can include support for job seekers through
well-designed unemployment benefits, active labour market programs to avoid the
risk of long-term unemployment and social exclusion, supportive measures for
young people and disadvantaged youth, increased investment in employmentintensive infrastructure and public goods, investment in the green economy, and a
shift to lower carbon development.6

5

In many cases the recovery is characterized with unemployment and underemployment at
unacceptably high levels.
6

Types of low carbon development include green economy and green lifestyle initiatives to
reduce carbon emissions (McCulloch and Sumner 2009).


Global Financial Crisis

5

The crisis has demonstrated the fragility of recent progress in reducing extreme
poverty. The global financial crisis, and the resulting global economic crisis,
affects the livelihoods of billions around the world and endangers progress toward
the poverty reduction and other Millennium Development Goals (Vos 2009).

Progress and Constraints in Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
In September 2000, 189 heads of state adopted the UN Millennium Declaration
and endorsed a framework for development. The plan called for countries and
development partners to work together to address some of the core issues of
international development such as poverty, hunger, ill-health, gender inequality,
lack of education, lack of access to clean water, and environmental degradation.
The plan established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with targets
set for 2015, and identified a number of indicators to monitor progress.
Millennium Development Goals
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal

Goal

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:

to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to

eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
achieve universal primary education
promote gender equality and empower women
reduce child mortality
improve maternal health
combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
ensure environmental sustainability
develop a global partnership for development.

In the context of globalization and the recent global financial crisis, the MDGs

that looked to a more prosperous future for the planet’s most disadvantaged people
only a few years ago are unlikely to be met (Dominelli 2010). Since the global
financial and economic crisis the perceived successes, failures, strengths, and
weaknesses in the pursuit of the MDGs have worsened in many developing
countries (Chibba 2011).
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) developed the report,
Beyond the Midpoint: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, to assess
what it will take to accelerate progress towards the goals around the world.
Achieving the MDGs is now all the more challenging because the development
environment is more threatened now than it has been at any time in the recent past,
due to the global economy, a food crisis, and the impacts of climate change, all of
which all affect efforts to reduce poverty and to attain the MDGs more broadly
(UNDP 2010a). Based on thirty country-level assessments and consultations with
stakeholders, the report found that there are four key areas that shape MDG


6

1 Background to the Social Protection Initiative

achievement at the country level: policy choices and their coherence; governance
and capacity deficits; fiscal constraints; and political will (UNDP 2010a). Human
development gains are vulnerable to reversals during economic downturns and in
times of conflicts and natural disasters. The progress towards the MDGs varies
across targets and regions; there is a need to reduce vulnerability to shocks while
working to make communities more resilient and sustainable in the long-term.
While there is still time to work towards the targets, there is evidence that a new
development paradigm is required by many countries to address the magnitude and
depth of new challenges to social and economic development (Chibba 2011).
Policy recommendations include focusing attention on specific sectors to accelerate progress towards the MDGs, instituting well-designed social protection,

maintaining continuity and quality of services in health and education, introducing
and maintaining effective monitoring mechanisms, and maintaining a long-term
perspective (Conceição et al. 2011).

Social Impacts
The social impact of globalization and concerns vary significantly across countries, depending on their current economic situation, exposure to specific impacts,
and capacity to respond (Institute of Development Studies 2008). Where countries
already struggle with poverty, inequality, poor nutrition, and low education
achievements, further economic setbacks could be disastrous for vulnerable populations (Patel 2009). Rising food and fuel prices sparked riots and social turbulence in over 30 countries around the world (Patel 2009). Poverty and
unemployment have been linked to crime; gender-based violence; substance
abuse; and mental illness, including depression and suicide (UNDESA 2011).
Deprivations in well-being in terms of health status and access to health care are
key dimensions of poverty (UNDESA 2011). Of particular concern is the potential
impact on children’s health, education, and overall development (Patel 2009).
Failure to protect vulnerable populations could result in permanent negative social
impacts. For example, in children could suffer physical stunting and reduced
intellectual growth from a lack of access to adequate nutritional food, health, and
education. Poor households face shocks related to their personal circumstances,
from ill health, deaths, or job losses (Hossain 2009). The social impacts on workers
in the informal sector, especially poor and vulnerable women and their children,
continue to need to be addressed (Hossain et al. 2010).
It has been observed that social indicators decline more rapidly during economic
downturns than they improve during periods of high growth; this asymmetry can
lead to different social outcomes in diverse countries depending upon their growth
(UNDESA 2011). In today’s world of increased interdependence, there are many
complex challenges that need to be addressed. A rapidly ageing world population,
the catastrophic threat of climate change, continued widespread poverty and social
exclusion, and civil conflicts and wars in many parts of the world are some examples.

Social Impacts

7

These challenges call for a new transformative agenda to place economic and social
dimensions at the center. This will require vision and leadership of governments and
international organizations to give substance to a new social contract that strikes a
balance between achieving greater global equity for the present generation, prosperity and peace, and intergenerational equity to ensure sustainable development for
future world populations, and overcoming the threats of climate change (Vos 2010).
What is striking is that there are countries taking important steps to build their
national defined social protection floors. Chapter 5 considers social protection floor
initiatives in Argentina, India, South Africa, and Thailand, and how these examples
are contributing to social and economic development.
Austerity measures in response to high government debt in some countries,
such as Greece and Spain, threaten public sector employment and social expenditure and make recovery more uncertain and fragile (UNDESA 2011). Rising
unemployment and falling wages can exacerbate tensions among social groups.
For example, anti-immigrant sentiment is rising in some countries (the Russian
Federation and South Africa), and calls for restrictive immigration have been
proposed in some countries in the European Union (UNDESA 2011).
The severe shortcoming of the macroeconomic policy agenda to generate
employment and eradicate poverty has led to renewed interest in social policies
and social protection programs. Moments of crisis also present windows of
opportunity (McCulloch and Sumner 2009). No social or economic order is secure
if it fails to benefit the majority of those who live under it. This demands nothing
less than what European political philosophers in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries called a social contract: an implicit understanding among members of a
community to cooperate for mutual benefit, along with formal rules and institutional mechanisms to help build trust, balance competing interests, manage disputes, and provide a fair distribution of the rewards that are generated (Vos 2010).
Social protection programs contribute to the reduction of poverty and
inequality, help households manage risks, reduce the incidence and impact of
shocks, and build human capital (UNDP 2010b). The onset of the global financial

and economic crisis has resulted in calls for social protection and safety nets for
those most affected and those most at risk (Patel 2009).
Governments must take into account the likely social implications of their
economic policies. It has been shown that economic policies considered in isolation from their social outcomes can have dire consequences for poverty,
employment, nutrition, and health and education, and subsequently can adversely
affect long-term sustainable development.

Agreement in Nine United Nations Joint Initiatives
On April 5, 2009, the UN system endorsed nine initiatives. The nine initiatives aim
to assist countries and the global community to confront the global financial crisis;
accelerate recovery; and build a fair and inclusive globalization allowing for


8

1 Background to the Social Protection Initiative

sustainable economic, social, and environmental development for all while facing
the future in a spirit of conviction of the need for transformational change (United
Nations System Chief Executive Board for Coordination 2009).
UN System Joint Crisis Initiatives
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:

additional financing for the most vulnerable
food security
trade
a green economy initiative
a global jobs pact
a social protection floor
humanitarian, security and social stability
technology and innovation
monitoring and analysis.

The Social Protection Floor is part of the agreement of the UN System Joint
Crisis Initiatives (Behrendt 2010) and promotes universal access to essential social
transfers and services. A Social Protection Floor (Initiative 6) aims to ensure
access to services, shelter, empowerment, and protection of the poor and vulnerable (United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination 2009).

Rationale
A social protection floor is important to all countries. This is particularly the case
with regard to the most vulnerable segments of the population and the least developed countries in each region. Overall social protection coverage is particularly low
in many developing countries. Support is needed to protect those fundamental

elements of society—education, nutrition, health, social services, the sciences,
culture, communication, and protection against natural disasters—that make human
development possible but which are often the first to be hit in a recession.
The ‘‘Social Protection Floor’’ Initiative is based on the premise that, once
undone, progress on development goals cannot easily be recovered without considerable re-investment and political re-commitment. Human development is a
long-term investment. The aim of this initiative, therefore, is to advocate for and
advise on the provision of a social protection floor and public resource spending in
ways that will both kick-start growth and support more inclusive and sustainable
social and economic development.
In countries that currently lack strong social security and income support
programs, a social protection floor consisting of a basic package of social transfers,
combined with actions to guarantee that the poor and vulnerable have access to
adequate and affordable sources of nutrition and needed social and health services,


Agreement in Nine United Nations Joint Initiatives

9

is critical to mitigating the poverty and welfare fall-out of the crisis, while at the
same time providing a significant stimulus to the economy. Widespread support is
gathering for the policy position that countries can grow with equity. There is now
evidence that economic growth that does not include a concept for equity and
equality is not sustainable in the long run (United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination 2009).
The ‘‘Social Protection Floor’’ Initiative sees the current crisis as an opportunity
to encourage and support countries to review policies and strategies for social
transfers and access to needed services, aligning them along the principles of
inclusion, equity, and social justice as a major way of investing out of the crisis and
achieving long-term stability. Chapter 3 examines the social protection floor and
Recommendation No. 202 in greater detail, as well as the concept of social protection, related human rights and social justice frameworks, and the role of social

development, social determinants of health, and other related concepts in detail.
The International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization are
the lead agencies for the Social Protection Floor initiative.

Discussion and Conclusion
Many have called for greater national and international engagement in social
protection policies as an effective tool for poverty reduction. The international
community should advocate and support the development of a social protection
floor to protect people during the crisis and after the crisis (Somavia n.d.). The
Social Protection Floor Initiative is the focus of this book, and the concept of
social protection as protecting a minimum level of access to essential services and
income security for all along with the gradual realization of human rights on social
protection, is further explored in Chap. 2. The Social Protection Floor consists of
access to essential services and access to social transfer (see Chap. 3). The
repercussions of the global financial and economic crisis have helped to push
social protection measures higher on the international agenda. Increasing attention
has been given to the growing number of successful programs in developing
countries on various dimensions of human development (Barrientos and Hulme
2008). Chapter 5 presents five case studies of social protection initiatives in
Argentina, India, South Africa, and Thailand.
The deteriorating economic conditions facing many people around the world
calls for social protection to reduce vulnerability and poverty. Multiple crises have
set back the progress many countries have made towards achieving the internationally-agreed upon development goals, including the MDGs. In 2009, half of the
world’s workers—nearly 1.53 billion people—were in vulnerable employment7
7

Vulnerable employment is defined as less formal work arrangements that lack elements of
decent work, such as social security, health benefits and recourse to social dialogue or effective
collective bargaining mechanisms.

10

1 Background to the Social Protection Initiative

(UNDESA 2011). The global economic downturn has had wide-ranging negative
social outcomes for individuals, families, communities and societies, and its
impact on social progress in areas such as education and health will only become
fully evident over time. During times of financial and economic crisis, households
often adopt coping strategies, such as making changes in household expenditure
patterns; however, these can negatively influence education, health, and nutrition
outcomes, which may lead to deficits for the children affected and perpetuate the
intergenerational transmission of poverty (UNDESA 2011).
Social protection is a useful way of describing a range of policy interventions
that protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks (Davies and McGregor 2009).
With the rising prominence of the social protection agenda, many governments
have taken steps to address the social fallouts of economic liberalization that keep
many people—especially women—in poverty despite long hours of paid and
unpaid work.
Recent experience suggests that countries that have national social protection
programs in place are likely to be in a better position to cope with crisis (Davies
and McGregor 2009). Increased social spending and improved social protection
systems have cushioned the impact in many countries (UNDESA 2011). As
challenging as it has been, the crisis nevertheless offers an opportunity for
achieving social progress by making universal social protection a reality, revisiting
the social aspects of globalization, and ensuring more inclusive and sustained
growth in line with sustainable development and a commitment to achieving
economic development, social progress, and environmental sustainability (UNDESA 2011). Social protection plays a vital role in strengthening the resilience of
children, families and communities, achieving greater equity, and supporting
national human and economic development (Winder and Yablonski 2012). The

relevance of social protection is heightened in the face of persistent inequalities,
recent trends, and the recent global financial crisis.

References
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www.who.int/topics/globalization/en/.


Chapter 2

International Instruments

Abstract This chapter introduces several international human rights instruments
that support social protection. Reviews of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, International Labour Organization’s Conventions on Social Security,
Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, and the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
illustrate how these key initiatives support social protection. The appendices
provide useful excerpts from these human rights instruments.

Á

Keywords Human rights Social security
Indigenous people United Nations

Á

Á

Children’s rights

Á

Disability

Á

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was proclaimed by the
United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. The UDHR contains a
preamble and 30 articles, and the full document can be found in the appendices of
this book. The preamble states the reasons for the declaration, and the articles list
the universal rights applicable to everyone.
Following the Second World War, the creation of the United Nations (UN)
signaled the international community’s commitment to prevent atrocities in the
future. The UDHR is agreed to be the foundation of international human rights law
and an inspiration in addressing injustices and working towards achieving universal enjoyment of human rights. There is universal recognition that basic rights
and freedoms are inherent to all human beings, inalienable and equally applicable
to everyone, and that every one of us is born free, with dignity and rights.
There are three specific articles in the UDHR that apply to social security and
social protection.

J. L. Drolet, Social Protection and Social Development,
SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-7878-8_2,
Ó The Author(s) 2014

13


14

2 International Instruments

Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to
realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social,
and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his
personality.
Article 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and
favourable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring
for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his
interests.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and
medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event
of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of
livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All
children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social
protection.
The Commission on Human Rights is the UN body that is charged with
monitoring human rights and evaluating various complaints.

International Covenant on Economic, Social,
and Cultural Rights
Building upon the UDHR, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) was adopted in 1966 (United Nations General
Assembly 1966). A copy of the document can be found in the appendices of this
book. It is this Covenant that covers the right to social security and various human

rights on economic, social, and cultural conditions.1 Specifically, Article 9 states
the following:

1

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force on 3
January 1976.


International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

15

Article 9
States recognize the right of everyone to social security, including social
insurance.
Article 9 provides a broad approach to social security. Social insurance is a
contributory or insurance-based scheme that involves compulsory contributions
from beneficiaries, employers, and sometimes the State, along with the payment of
benefits and administrative expenses from a common fund. The literature is
divided as to whether social assistance is covered by Article 9; some maintain it
was deliberately left open to be comprehensive in order to include social assistance
(Riedel 2007).
A human rights approach allows individual and/or groups to claim access to
basic services and income and obligates government and the world community to
work towards the realization of these rights. Over time, international human rights
treaties have become more focused and specialized on specific issues and social
groups in need of protection. The enforcement of human rights generally depends
on the goodwill or interest of individual countries (Reichert 2011).

ILO Conventions on Social Security
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the UN agency in charge of
implementing the right to social security. It was Article III(f) of the International
Labour conference, 26th session, 1944, which recognized the solemn obligation of
the ILO to further programs of social security among the nations of the world. The
Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 called for ‘‘the extension of social security
measures to provide a basic income to all in need of such protection and comprehensive medical care.’’2
The ILO’s Conventions on social security adopted before the Second World
War have been revised and superseded by new and more comprehensive Conventions, providing a distinction between the ‘social insurance era’ and the ‘social
security era’ during and after it (Otting 1993).
The ILO conventions on social security are the main reference for the content
and components of this right to social security. The ILO Convention No. 102,
Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention of 1952, has played an
important role in the extension of social security. Convention No. 102 covers nine
branches of social security: (1) medical care, (2) sickness benefit, (3) unemployment benefit, (4) old-age benefit, (5) employment injury benefit, (6) family benefit,
(7) maternity benefit, (8) invalidity benefit, and (9) survivors’ benefit. Because of

2

Declaration concerning the aims and purposes of the International Labour Organization, annex
to the Constitution of the ILO, Section III (f) (United Nations Economic and Social Council
2007).


16

2 International Instruments

its importance for human dignity, the realization of the right to social security
should be given priority in law and policy, even if it has significant financial

implications for States.
In 2001 the International Labour Conference, composed of representatives of
States, employers, and workers, affirmed that social security is a basic human right
and a fundamental means for creating social cohesion.

Convention on the Rights of the Child
On November 29, 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, which specifies the basic rights that every child should enjoy.
The convention specifically references social welfare of the child. ‘‘Children are
entitled to adequate health care (art. 24); treatment for mental health (art. 25);
social security (art. 26); an adequate standard of living, including nutrition,
clothing, and housing (art. 27); and primary education (art. 28)’’ (Reichert 2011).
The Convention on the Rights of the Child contains many human rights with the
intent of protecting children and promoting their well-being (Reichert 2011). Two
articles that speak to social protection; Article 26 and Article 27 (United Nations
General Assembly 1989).
Article 26
1. States Parties shall recognize for every child the right to benefit from social
security, including social insurance, and shall take the necessary measures to
achieve the full realization of this right in accordance with their national law.
2. The benefits should, where appropriate, be granted, taking into account the
resources and the circumstances of the child and persons having responsibility
for the maintenance of the child, as well as any other consideration relevant to
an application for benefits made by or on behalf of the child.
Article 27
1. States Parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living adequate
for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development.
2. The parent(s) or others responsible for the child have the primary responsibility
to secure, within their abilities and financial capacities, the conditions of living
necessary for the child’s development.

3. States Parties, in accordance with national conditions and within their means,
shall take appropriate measures to assist parents and others responsible for the
child to implement this right and shall in case of need provide material assistance and support programmes, particularly with regard to nutrition, clothing
and housing.
4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to secure the recovery of
maintenance for the child from the parents or other persons having financial
responsibility for the child, both within the State Party and from abroad. In


Convention on the Rights of the Child

17

particular, where the person having financial responsibility for the child lives in
a State different from that of the child, States Parties shall promote the
accession to international agreements or the conclusion of such agreements, as
well as the making of other appropriate arrangements.
The United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of the Child (2006) notes with
concern that even the most basic standards of living is not assured for millions of
young children, despite widespread recognition of the adverse consequences of
deprivation, and further argues that implementing children’s rights to benefit from
social security, including social insurance, is an important element of any strategy.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities consists of 50 articles
addressing civil and political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Article 28
recognizes the right to adequate standard of living and social protection (United
Nations General Assembly 2006).
Article 28
1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate

standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food,
clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions,
and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote the realization of this
right without discrimination on the basis of disability.
2. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to social protection
and to the enjoyment of that right without discrimination on the basis of disability, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote the realization
of this right, including measures:
a. To ensure equal access by persons with disabilities to clean water services,
and to ensure access to appropriate and affordable services, devices and other
assistance for disability-related needs;
b. To ensure access by persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls
with disabilities and older persons with disabilities, to social protection
programmes and poverty reduction programmes;
c. To ensure access by persons with disabilities and their families living
in situations of poverty to assistance from the State with disability related
expenses, including adequate training, counselling, financial assistance and
respite care;
d. To ensure access by persons with disabilities to public housing programmes;
e. To ensure equal access by persons with disabilities to retirement benefits and
programmes.
It is estimated that at least 85 percent of the approximately 700 million persons
with disabilities live in developing countries, often in extreme poverty (World